


Kaneki Ken Eats a Burger

by caibi



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Because I'm in denial, i just wanted him to be happy, it's just buildup, there are other characters but they have minor roles, well i guess there's kind of a plot but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-04 09:33:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3062801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caibi/pseuds/caibi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Exactly what the title says. That's it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kaneki Ken Eats a Burger

Kaneki Ken is an 18 year old college student on a budget.

In spite of that, he sits down and orders a damn burger anyway. Because _hell_ , after the week he's had, he deserves it.

He could handle the stress of exams and essays piling up over the course of the semester. That kind of thing was familiar enough to deal with on its own. But if it's combined with the anxiety built up from anticipating a date and the subsequent downward slope of emotions after he found he'd been stood up, Kaneki wasn't sure he could remain in control of his mental state. 

Rize was a beautiful girl. And she had so much in common with Kaneki. She liked the same Takatsuki Sen books, had the same quiet demeanor, liked Takatsuki Sen...Ok so Kaneki didn't know too much about her, but that's what dates are for, right? Either way, she had agreed to go out with him.

At least, that's what he believed up until 45 minutes after they were supposed to meet.

 _Five o'clock tomorrow, at Anteiku?_   Rize had asked shyly, a blush forming on her cheeks.

That's what she said, wasn't it? Kaneki wasn't imagining things, was he? No, he couldn't be; he mentioned the exact time and place to Hide at least 6 times during their phone conversation after the date was planned.

Kaneki had checked his watch. _5:47 pm_. He sighed and opened the door to Anteiku behind him, then sat at a table closest to the door in case Rize miraculously showed up.

The waitress - Touka, he remembered (from Hide's flirtatious endeavors the day before) - asked for his order. A brief hesitation was the prelude to a mumbled request for hot chocolate.

Touka scrunched up her face, seeming to decide something that might cause her physical pain. "Are you-you know, are you alright?"

The waitress winced, seeming to immediately regret inquiring into the college student's feelings. She wasn't good with any conversation that involved emotions, Kaneki assumed.

She backtracked a bit, probably because of the pitying look on Kaneki's face, and changed her tone to one more cold and unwavering. "I mean that girl-Rize-stood you up. Obviously. So why're you moping? It's not the end of the world." 

Touka looked like she was trying to maintain a thin balance between maintaining her waitress charm and defending her otherwise distant personality.

"I'm fine," Kaneki lied, sparing her from more awkwardness.

Though she still looked doubtful, Touka nodded and left. When she came back, it was with a cup of hot chocolate and brow tightly drawn together.

"Here," she set the cup in front of him. "Um...I'm not exactly sure how to break this to you, but, uh, Rize probably won't be coming back."

Kaneki raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, she definitely won't be coming back. She...ran into some trouble at home and had to skip town. I'm sorry."

"Oh," Kaneki lowered his head. Stared at the ripples of cocoa in his mug. Nodded. "I see."

Touka went back behind the counter and met the questioning gaze of her co-worker. "Manager said-" she cleared her throat before continuing in a whisper.

Kaneki looked up when he heard the name "Rize" leak out from the stream of words, followed by "overwhelmed" and "doves."

The college student pieced together that Rize must have been a crazy bird lady and had been attacked by her dule. 

If that was the case, he really dodged a bullet with that one.

Nevertheless, here he is, sitting in a booth at Big Girl, drowning in his sorrows and root beer.

 _She really was pretty_ , he thought as he downed his second cup of the soft drink. He would have loved to sit and talk to her about _The Black Goat's Egg_ or _Dear Kafka_.

Oh well.

The burger is set in front of him then. Kaneki thanks the waitress with a smile and looks down to his meal. A nice, regular burger with lettuce, tomato, and cheese, all on a sesame bun. He takes the top off of the burger and picks up the glass bottle of ketchup. He shakes it once, twice, clumsily and face down. When none comes out, he pats it against the palm of his hand once, twice, three times before it rushes out in a huge blob.

There's too much ketchup for his burger.

Kaneki sighs.

He scrapes half of it off with a french fry (one of the stiffer ones; he saves the soft ones for the end. Those are his favorite). Replacing the bun, Kaneki takes a huge bite.

It's a very normal burger. So incredibly regular. Not disgusting at all. He knows ghouls would be repulsed by this sort of thing, and he wonders how that's possible. Because he's not a ghoul. He's a human boy in college. And he likes burgers. So he eats more of it. In fact, he eats the whole thing. Doesn't even feel like throwing up. What a miracle.

Then he eats the fries. All of them. He eats so many fries that _now_ he might throw up. Not because of any wacky taste buds like a ghoul might have, but simply because he ate far too much.

And just for the heck of it, he orders a sundae, too. He knows he's going to be sick tonight, but he can't bring himself to care.

Kaneki Ken orders extra whipped cream on his sundae. And he eats it all.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly just wanted to indulge myself. So...yeah.  
> This was unbeta'd and rushed and horrible but I can't bring myself to give a fuck because look!! Kaneki!! is!! eating!! food!!  
> (i was gonna add a relationship tag: kaneki ken/hamburger....but i figured that was a terrible idea)


End file.
